History Repeats
by BumbleBeeLoved
Summary: "'Harvey, I can't go in there,' Mike whispered furiously, his voice and hands shaking with some emotion that couldn't be named. He looked at Harvey, trying to convey how important this was." A chance encounter threatens to brings Mike's secrets to light.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello! So I got a bug up my butt to write this but this is about all that I have, and I don't even know how this will end. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, I just play with them ...

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><p>As quirky and sociable Mike was, he was a secretive person. He had a wall built around him that went sky high and even Trevor had never been able to completely scale his wall. For the most part, Mike let others see only what he wanted them to see, choosing his persona based on the situation. Even when he did let others somewhat inside his defenses, he wasn't any less open. Whereas the majority of the time he played cool and confident and sly, he was more quiet and serious and studious. It wasn't as though he had planned for it to turn out this way. Indeed, everything about how Mike operated was simply a product of the shit he had had to deal with over the years. The wall had been built to protect him from a repeat of life and any possible future attacks. And funnily enough, Harvey Spector had the most insight to Mike, even if he didn't quite know it.<p>

It was for this reason that Mike froze when he saw Sarah and Mitchell Brown, while walking to Conference Room 3. They seemed innocent enough, standing there with the rest of the clients in the class action lawsuit, anxious expressions on their faces. Sarah had gone grey at the temples some, though most of it blended in with her fairly blonde hair. Where the only aging Sarah had gone through was the grey hair, Mitchell had gone through some radical changes. The muscle he used to proudly show off had melted some and blended into the layer of padding that now circled his once lean stomach. Wrinkles carved their way across his forehead and his once dark hair was now more salt and pepper than simply pepper. They seemed nice enough from a distance, and yet the sight of them was enough to stop Mike in his tracks, and it wasn't until Harvey walked past Mike and paused to probably berate him for just standing outside the room when there were clients to interview. However, Mike beat him to it and forcibly moved their bodies so that Harvey was facing the clients with Mike facing him. He looked at the floor, even though the Browns couldn't possibly see his face or recognize him now. It had been years.

"Harvey, I can't go in there," Mike whispered furiously, his voice and hands shaking with some emotion that couldn't be named. He looked at Harvey, trying to convey how important this was.

"Why not? I need you in there with-"

"I _can't_." Mike had never looked more vulnerable in the entire time Harvey had known him. There was something wrong, and he needed to know now. Harvey looked back to the clients in the room, not seeing anyone even mildly offending.

"Mike, what's going on?" he questioned, starting to get simultaneously worried and annoyed.

"Harvey … just don't make me go in there," Mike said, now pleading with Harvey.

"Or what? I can fire y-"

"My foster parents are in there, ok?" he interrupted, clearing not saying what Harvey was expecting him to say. "Don't. Please," he whispered, looking Harvey straight in the eye.

There was an array of emotions there, ranging from embarrassed to pleading to scared. Harvey looked at Mike, who managed to look years younger and weary beyond his years at once, to the group of clients in the room. He stared at the group as if he could discern who Mike was talking about simply by sight. He looked back at the kid, who had gone completely still in anticipation of what Harvey said next.

"Go to my office. We'll talk about this later," he said now walking away from Mike to the room, not wanting to give him the opportunity to object.

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><p>It was a long wait, and Mike wasn't good at waiting. Especially not in situations like the one he was currently in. Anxious and shook up as he was, Mike had forgotten to say hi to Donna before entering Harvey's office and simply walked right in. Harvey had probably already informed her he was allowed to be in the office, however, because she said not a word to him and continued on whatever task she was focusing so intently on. It wasn't until half an hour later, after contemplating what Harvey was going to say, that Mike had realized what he had done and gone out to apologize to the fiery redhead.<p>

"Harvey told me something was up. Go get something to work on while you wait," she suggested a strange look crossing her face as she addressed him. Mike was too worked up to care and went to go get some briefs to look over.

Mike spent the rest of his time in the office, attempting to look over briefs, worrying over the conversation that was going to happen with Harvey and what he would say, and resisting the urge to run back downstairs and watch the Browns from afar.

By the time Harvey had made it up to his office, Mike was sitting still on his couch, trapped in his own head. He looked to Donna before approaching the room.

"He might have worn a hole through your carpet," she answered his unspoken question with hardly a glance to her boss.

"I'm sure," he returned, keeping his eyes on Mike and preparing himself for the subsequent conversation.

"What's going on?" Donna's face had softened with worry, also looking at the kid she had unwittingly started to like. "Why the background check on him? He's not in trouble again is he?"

"I don't know. Find anything?" he asked, turning to her.

"I'll let you know," she said, brow furrowing. "I think I found something, but we'll see."

"Thanks." With that, Harvey entered his office, not unaware of the small flinch Mike gave at hearing the door open.

Harvey sat down at his desk, trying to figure out where to start. He looked to Mike, taking in his rumpled stated, the leg bouncing nervously, and Mike staring at him with an unreadable look.

"I thought you lived with you grandma," he started.

Mike looked down, trying to find the words. "I did. After my parents … She's elderly. She's been in and out of the hospital for years. There was a time when I was fifteen that she got really sick and had to be hospitalized. We don't have any other family, so I had to stay home by myself. One of my neighbors found out and called the Department of Children's Services."

"And you were put in foster care," Harvey picked up when Mike had failed to continue.

"Yeah." Mike continued to stare at the floor, caught in between half flashes of memories and hoping Harvey would drop the subject there.

"Which ones were they?" He should've known better than to think Harvey would leave the subject at that.

"The Browns." Not the people Harvey was expecting. They were nice, quiet. Nothing that would get this kind of reaction from the Mike he knew. But then there was a lot he didn't know about Mike, and he was just starting to get that.

"You gonna tell me why I couldn't let you go in that room?" He was trying to be patient, Mike could tell, but Harvey didn't deal with this kind of thing. Emotions. Certainly not with other people's emotions.

"Nope."

"Mike-"

Mike looked up sharply. "No one knows. I … I can't tell you. Trevor didn't even know and he was my only friend at the time."

Harvey could see the effect this conversation was having on Mike. His knuckles were white from gripping each other so hard, to keep his hands from trembling. He was pale, and his breathing was coming out in shallow gasps, as if he couldn't get enough air and his leg was bouncing up and down like it was on its own energy pack.

"Why-"

"Harvey, I need Mike for …" Louis had barged in, obviously waiting until Donna had gone on a bathroom trip before coming in with Rachel in tow. The tension in the office was palpable, and Louis had trailed off realizing that he had just interrupted something big, while Rachel stood in the background looking between Mike and Harvey. "I can come back," Louis suggested.

Harvey seethed, hating Louis Litt more than he had ever hated him before. He was just about to answer in a way that could've gotten him fired when Mike answered for the both of them. "We were just wrapping up anyone."

That was something that Harvey filed away for later; Mike would rather work for Louis than talk to him about what had happened in his time with the Browns. Mike stood and made to leave the office with Louis, who looked between the two, trying to figure out what had been going on before he came in. Rachel looked down at her pile of papers uncomfortably, trying to be unobtrusive as possible.

Right as Mike walked out of the office, Harvey decided to put his last word in. "For now."

Mike stared at him sharply, before letting the door shut behind him. "Not if he had anything to say about it," he murmured to himself.

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><p>Tell me what you think!<p>

Btw, I don't have too much time to spend on this


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So I'm absolutely determined to get everyone who favorited, alerted, or reviewed my story up here so I could thank all of you. Really, this is the most positive feedback I've ever gotten for a story. Thank you so much. It really means a lot. If I don't have you up here, it doesn't mean anything. I just simply missed you in all the names. Please feel free to let me know and I'll fix that. :]

BrookMctirre, strgateatl1fan, LAB Rats, Destiny J. Adams, iheartlife, Kanae Yuna, madly9, nightangel69, devil4life, Ig0r, greeneyedrocker, Rath141419, TayTai-BloodBlueRose, Ice Queen1, angierocks, Night-Owl123, AllieMcD, snappi22, penguincrazy, Tatalina, PoisonsOrchid ,CMT1992, Mafalda, Alohagirls101, Chilling Death, mysticdreamer-dracos lover-, Goose Girl18, ShadowWolfDagger, heartfallen, spadeka, SlytherinQueen020, MTCS, liltrix, Seletua, Phoenix on cloud nine, DiNo22, Nikeya, lilangelstar, LunaMazes, xTullyx, CheekyBrunette, Pureevil230, crimsonmoon08, LauraAnn27, Prancu, miss-behave0308, Gandalf3213, PrInCeSsFBi, whynotlive, RedBrickandIvy, deathy A. Saiyania, thing1966, Vulpes Verborum, Josu, kittyandstars, ShadowFlame23, TkMomijiOXkisaHiro, BlackAngelBlood, WhiteCrow96, Annibal, OneAndLonelyThirteen, kingdomheartsgurl369, blue moon, Currently Obsessed with Suits, gategirl7, .sock, Suicidal Mickey Mouse, , NatsumiMidou, SMZ619, she. (I've read some of your stuff! Love!), Coles Guardian, Fallenarchangel, FanaticWriter, CiZiwejes, Lady Bird5, hup123hup123slapslap, MavCat, TwilightLove87, Robodoc77, wavelet, godsdaughter77, Arlothia, writterperson, accebar regina, MoonWiccan6, Lady of Silentia, Fille de Tsuki,

Btw, I'm really curious about people's author names and the stories behind them. I love all your different names and aliases, and if you wouldn't mind or if it's not too personal, I'd like to know. Feel free to leave the stories in the reviews or even pm me if you don't want everyone to know. :] And obviously, if you want to know, I'll tell you mine as well.

Disclaimer: Not my toys. I just play with them. Oh how I play with them. (Ok I'm creeping myself out … .)

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><p>Someone up there hated him, that much was sure. Kyle and Greg had decided that today was a perfect day to mess with him, and messed with the files that Mike had already done, resulting in Louis humiliating him in from of the whole office, demanding that Mike stay later to make up his "mistake," while he could do nothing but sit there and try not to punch the junior partner. After which Kyle and Greg stuck around to gloat some more.<p>

"That was spectacular, Ross. Seriously, you just made my day," Kyle said while high-fiving Greg. Mike put his headphones in and blasted some seriously loud music he hoped would drown the two out.

Kyle reached over the partition and grabbed Mike's headphone. "Hey, I was-"

Mike stood up, knocking Kyle's hand away from him. "That's enough. Touch my shit again, you asshole, and I swear to God, I will sue you for harassment and win. Don't think I can't and do not fuck with me today."

Kyle stood there, whether in shock or weighing his options Mike couldn't tell and didn't particularly care as long as the douchebag left him alone. Mike could feel his hands shaking, his patience wearing spectacularly thin as the moment, and closed them, something that Kyle seemed to notice. Kyle took one step back, still not breaking eye contact with Mike.

"Something wrong here?" Of course it'd be Harvey. Why wouldn't it be Harvey? Kyle looked away in surprise.

"Nothing," Mike said before Kyle could answer, still not taking his eyes off the other associate. "Just getting some things cleared up."

"Then I suggest you two get back to work," Harvey said, motioning to Kyle and Greg.

There was a moment of silence in which Mike sat down and pretended to get back to work.

"That wasn't nothing, Mike," Harvey said, breaking the silence.

"It is now," Mike didn't look up.

"Those are the two that always pick on you." It wasn't a question.

"They're jealous," he replied by way of explanation, finishing one brief and starting on another.

Harvey said nothing, and walked away. Mike only looked up then, and sighed a breath of relief when he realized Harvey wasn't demanding his presence. It didn't slip past him that Harvey had come to him for a reason, and then never followed through with it. At the moment he really didn't care. He just wanted today to be over. Mike looked down at his work. It had taken him twice the amount of time as usual to get through one brief. At this rate he was going to be here all night and he knew himself well enough to know that his focus and work ethic would only decline as the night went on. He might as well do what he couldn't do at home right now then finish the briefs at home in something other than a suit with Jenny. And then he remembered everything going on in his life, Trevor at his apartment, Rachel's voicemail, and Jenny, and laughed at the fact that life seemed to it hysterical to shit on every aspect of his life at once.

Mike gathered his files and prepared himself for what he realized would be a very long next few days, and went down to the library.

…

Harvey stared at the email in front of him. Could he do this? Could he really do this to Mike? Despite what he said, he really did like the kid. There was just something about him that got to him, and even Donna it had seemed. Charisma, charm, whatever it was, it was screwing with Harvey. He was genuinely worried about the kid. He had never seen his associate act like he had earlier and it made Harvey want to dig. He knew about the kid's cheating for money, that he had been kicked out of college, that he paid for his grandmother's bills, he knew that Mike had more going for him and more against him than anyone at this office, and that the kid was loyal to a fault. But everything that Harvey knew about Mike was either necessary to keep him working at Pierson Hardman or stuff he had learned from working with Mike. Harvey knew absolutely nothing about the kid's past, Trevor and his grandma aside. Even then, it wasn't much. Despite all Harvey's claims to being great with reading body language, Mike was one of the tougher ones to read. However, Harvey often forgot that Mike's life before he had walked into the interview was that of a con artist. Sure, Mike was a bit naïve, but that didn't mean he still didn't know what he was doing. For the most part.

After this morning, a million questions popped into his head about Mike's past. How did his parents die? How old was he when they died? How long was Mike in the system? What was he like as a kid? What had happened between him and the Browns? For all Harvey knew, it was something that Mike had good reason to hide. But then, as far as Harvey was concerned, not knowing everything possible about someone could come back to bite you in the ass, and he was nothing if prepared. Which brought him to his current predicament. Should he find out what Mike was hiding? Or should he trust a con artist he had just met not even six months ago?

Harvey looked over the email once more before hitting send.

_Pussy Galore,_

_I need to know everything you can get me on Mike Ross. Specifically anything to do with the Browns._

_007_

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><p>AN: Thank you again you guys, for all the love. :] You all are the best! Just to let you guys know, I'm not exactly a writer. I'm more of an artist, so it's extremely encouraging to have so many like my story.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello, my lovelies! How are you all? I have got to say, I got some … AMAZING! responses about your names. Very cool, even if some of you thought it was weird or boring. Lol. It's still pretty cool. I thought I'd explain why I didn't reply to any of you about _my_ name. I was planning on answering here (which I will still) since there was so many of you, but it's taken so much longer than I thought to finish this. I'm taking three graphic design lab classes and the fourth has yet to start on top of work. :/ So sleep is a no go. Lol.

On to my name. When I first read Harry Potter, before I knew what fanfiction was, I loved Sirius Black and I wanted to be part of his life. So I created a story in which Sirius had a girlfriend, Anya, during his Hogwarts years and right before that fateful Halloween night, he was going to ask her to marry him. No one knew but James, who he had told that night. Anya was pregnant and gave birth to Ananda Black, Sirius Black's daughter. Hence the Ananda Black. The 2002 came when I made it into my email. :] Ta da!

And on to the story! More on the Browns and such in the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own le toys, I just play with them. :]

…

Jenny sat across from the door, staring at the phone in her hands. She hadn't wanted to believe Trevor, she really didn't. She glanced at the door when she heard what might have been Mike, but looked back at the phone in her lap when the person in the hallway had walked past. The phone looked innocent enough, yet it somehow felt heavier than normal. The screen had long since gone dark, but Jenny didn't need to see the screen to know what she would see if she unlocked the phone.

She didn't even know what she was going to say to Mike when he came home. If he came home today. Before he had gotten the job at Pearson and Hardman, Mike had been easy to get a hold of. He was always there if Trevor needed someone to get him out of jail, or if she needed to talk. It wasn't so much that Mike had changed in that regard since working for Harvey, but he was consumed by the job. He worked ungodly hours and was essentially on call for Harvey. In not so nice terms, he was Harvey's bitch and if that meant putting her second, Mike would.

Mike had explained his driving force to her once. He had this need. He hadn't explained it so, but she knew. She knew what he was like. He had a sort of hero complex that drove him to take care of people (like Grammy) and do anything he could to help them, and an intense need to prove himself worthy to people (like Harvey). It had always been there. Even though she wasn't privy to Mike's past from before she had met him like Trevor was, she was certain that he had been the same way when he was younger as well. Regardless, both combined were what drove Mike to work eighty hour weeks, to work for twenty-four hours straight, to jump every time the phone rang, lest it be Harvey or some emergency from the hospital.

Jenny sighed as she glanced down at the phone again. She loved Mike. She really did. The problem was in which way. Did she love him as just a friend? Did she turn to him because he was there like Trevor never was? Or did she actually love him? In all honesty, she couldn't tell and that scared her.

She shook the thoughts out of her head. This wasn't the time to be thinking about this. Not when she was about to confront Mike, because really, what did it matter if Mike was cheating on her? Jenny slid her finger across the screen, unlocking it to see the calls once more. Right there at the top was a picture of Rachel, that bitch, and her missed call, her voicemail.

…

Mike sighed as he rode up to his apartment, relieved to be home, to be done for the day. To be away from Harvey and his questions. Hell, he hadn't even wanted to face Rachel today. That was just a big ball of shit that he wasn't willing to touch right now.

The choice between the two had been a hard one. He had liked them almost just as much as the other, but he had wanted Jenny for a while. Mike had just never really let himself think about what that would mean. Trevor was his friend. Mike couldn't do that to him, especially when Mike was sure that Jenny hadn't even thought of him in that way. But now, now that Trevor had fucked it up in the biggest way possible, now that he had kissed Jenny, now that Harvey had forced Trevor to move, now he could think about it. But by that time, there was Rachel. Rachel was smart, funny, had no qualms about showing him his place, but most importantly, she understood him on that work level as well. She worked his hours, she knew what he had to put with. But Jenny … was Jenny. She was sweet, she knew him longer, better, knew him from a time before Pearson Hardman. She kept him normal, in touch with reality. But Rachel challenged him, as an associate and as a person, something that only his grandma had ever done.

But Jenny had been with Trevor long before him.

But Rachel hadn't wanted to date anyone from the office.

Ultimately, that's what it had come down to. Was it more wrong for Mike to date his ex-best friend's ex-girlfriend? Or to pursue Rachel and have her go against her self-enforced ethics? In the end, it had been Jenny he had chosen. He had given Rachel more than enough opportunities, and had even brought it out into the open. Had Rachel wanted it enough, she would've gone for it. She hadn't. At least not until, he had started dating Jenny, and by then it was too late.

Mike sighed as he walked his bike to the front door to Jenny's apartment, not ready to deal with talking to Trevor about him and Jenny dating yet.

Opening the door, Mike saw Jenny sitting on the leather seat that faced the doorway. His phone was in her hands, and even without his memory being as it was, it wasn't difficult to figure out why that was a bad idea. The blank look on her face only served to further set Mike on edge.

"Hi," he said slowly, not wanting to give his suspicions away. He set his bag down on the counter, never breaking eye contact with her, never looking away.

"You left this here today," she said by way of greeting, holding up the offending object. Her voice was cold, and she didn't get up to kiss him like she usually did.

"Yeah, I figured that out earlier today when I wanted to call you," Mike replied, answering honestly, walking across the room to her. Really, the phone was _not_ the same as eidetic memory.

"I got a call from Trevor yesterday." She hadn't even acknowledged his answer. There was something terribly wrong, and until she told him what it was, he would act like normal.

"Oh? What'd he say?" He stopped in front of her. Jenny was not in the mood, and he wasn't going to push it by attempting a kiss.

"To check your voicemail."

Shit.

"Why would he say that, Mike?" She stood up, going face to face with him.

Mike recognized it now. That cold anger that he had seen countless times aimed at Trevor. It had never ended well when she called up that anger. The wrath of a woman scorned. And now, it was directed towards him. He needed to do some fast talking.

"Jenny, let me explain. I-"

"Why should I give you a reason to explain?" She hadn't moved, but there was an imperceptible change in her voice that almost sent the hairs on Mike's neck up and caused his heart to beat faster with adrenaline.

"Because it's a good explanation. And I deserve to give you that at least."

Jenny stood there, almost nose to nose with Mike, for seconds that lasted hours. Right as Mike was about to plead again, she sat on the seat she had been in when he got home without a word. After a beat of palpable tension and awkwardness in which he didn't know if he had been granted this chance, she barked at him. "I'm waiting!"

Mike rushed to pull up a chair in front of her.

"Ok. Before I start, let me finish. You know I'm not great with … with my own emotions, feelings, whatever. Just let me get through before you finish. Ok?" he pleaded with his eyes, trying to convey just how difficult this was going to be. He buried everything. It was what allowed him to do for others what he could not do for himself. She nodded her ascension, and he took a deep breath before starting. "I've always liked you. From the beginning. But I was … I was too chicken to talk to you, so … Trevor did. And you guys went out. I couldn't ever do anything like that to Trevor. He's been there for me in ways you couldn't imagine. So I just forced myself not to think about it. I know he never treated you right but he was more serious about you than any other girl I'd seen him with so I thought he'd get his act together eventually. And then I got the job at Pearson Hardman and it took over my life and I met Rachel and I figured things would never happen with you and I liked her so I asked her out after several weeks of flirting. But … she turned me down. Said that she didn't date from work. That was the day I went to Trevor's apartment and gave him back his weed from the drug bust hat he set me up for and got in a fight with him. Told him he at least owed you the truth. That you deserved more. He punched me and I met you outside. I made … a HUGE mistake kissing you that night. You were still dating Trevor and it was wrong of me to do that to you, but … I don't know. I had been rejected by Rachel, you were dating my friend and all I've really ever had were one night stands and relationships I knew would never lead anywhere. I just wanted _once_ to know what it was like to kiss you, 'cause God knows Trevor shouldn't have had you."

Jenny got up from the seat as Mike took a breath to calm himself and walked over to the window, seemingly to look down at the street. But she didn't say anything and Mike took that as a sign to continue.

"I couldn't face you after that knowing what I had done. So I just ignored your calls and kept going to work. Then Trevor got in trouble. Asked me for help. I did help, even though I was mad at him. It ended up getting him into a hostage situation that Harvey had to step in and diffuse for me. He said Trevor owed him for saving his life and that as payment, Trevor would leave the state. That he would stop dragging me down. And then there was the mock trial. Rachel had found out I was helping people cheat on the LSAT's and got pissed. She said she held me to a higher standard than that, and stopped talking to me because of it. She was usually the one that helped me with stuff around the office when Harvey wouldn't. Instead, Donna helped me by telling me to ask someone outside the office to help. You know what happened. I felt bad for Rachel. I was using everything I knew about her to mess her up on the stand and I couldn't go through with it. She thanked me afterwards. Told me she was sorry. It cost me."

Mike had his head in his hands, trying to think of the best way to continue.

"I like her Jenny. I do, but I've spent the majority of the past seven years trying to be there for you, waiting for an opportunity to present itself. So when … we happened, I wasn't about to jeopardize that. I'll admit, I flirted with Rachel, but never anything more. And it wasn't a secret we were seeing each other. We were still friends and she still helped me. So when I was stuck trying to find a reason for me to get those documents I told you about from the other lawyer firm, she was there to help. I didn't think anything of it. But then she kissed me."

Jenny spun around, looking at Mike for the first time since getting up. He couldn't look at her.

"Nothing else happened. Louis walked in the conference room after she kissed me. She left. I didn't … I didn't tell you cause I didn't know what to say. I had kind of written her off that way. I mean yeah, we had fun, and yeah she's hot, but she'd made it clear to me that she wouldn't date me or anyone from the office. I needed to think about it, about how to approach her. So I didn't say anything. And once I had lied, it spun out of control. I never meant it to go on for so long, but once you told me to choose I confronted Rachel and she denied anything. She got mad and I didn't think it'd be a problem if she wouldn't even be in the same room with me. And then that call. I just … I didn't know how to handle it. I'm so sorry, Jenny."

There was nothing for several moments. Mike looked up from his hands. Jenny was still standing by the window. Where before, she looked almost pensive, now she was livid. Her hands were balled at her sides, the muscles in her cheeks tensing as she clenched her teeth and chewed the inside of her lip angrily.

"Get out, Mike. I can't talk to you right now," she said finally, through clenched teeth. "I'll call you later."

"I-"

"Just leave!"

Mike couldn't believe this was happening. He took a breath, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Mike, I just … I need to think about everything. Please. Give me a few days," Jenny said. It was clear she didn't know how to react. She was mad, angry, livid, pissed, and a million other words that could easily describe how she felt, but she was trying to keep from saying or doing anything else that might damage the situation further.

Mike nodded, paused to take a breath before gathering his bag and his bike, and walked out the door.


End file.
